Landskron Castle

Landskron sits on a rock between Villach and the Ossiacher See, a sixteenth-century Renaissance castle that burned after a lightning strike in 1812 and was left as a ruin. The courtyard now holds a birds of prey centre running free-flight displays several times a day with eagles, vultures and falcons over the audience and the valley behind them, and below the castle is Affenberg, an enclosure of several hectares of forest holding a colony of well over a hundred Barbary macaques, a species from North Africa, living in a group structure with visitors walking through on guided rounds rather than viewing from outside. The view from the ruin covers the Drau valley, the Karawanken and the Julian Alps. A restaurant occupies part of the walls.

What you actually see

• A ruined Renaissance castle - burned after a lightning strike in 1812.
• Free-flight eagle displays - birds of prey flown over the courtyard daily.
• A Barbary macaque colony - over a hundred animals in forest, walked through on tours.
• A view over the Drau - the valley, Karawanken and Julian Alps from the walls.

When to go

April to October; displays run to a daily timetable. Half a day.

Honest expectations

The bird displays and the macaque enclosure each charge separately and run at set times. Both close for winter. Macaques are wild animals - guides set rules about touching and food.

Nearby

Villach and the Ossiacher See are below; the Faaker See is south.